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Once Upon an Alphabet by Oliver Jeffers

Submitted by Celeste on May 6th, 2:24pm

"If words make up stories, and letters make up words, then stories are made of letters..."

This picture book, longer than most, may or may not keep your listener engaged. The adult doing the reading is more likely to enjoy the clever humor, as I did. Witty Jeffers offers a story for each letter of the alphabet, each a few pages long. Some of the stories are lovely little poems while others are outlandish or wacky. The text and images play off each other in a remarkably imaginative way, each extending the other. His humans, animals and invented characters --- such as the Whiraffe --- are lots of fun and often pop up in each other’s stories.

This over-sized picture book is recommended for parents and caregivers who are bored with the read-alouds that their kids have been choosing. Jeffers’ imaginative stories and art will keep you in good humor as you read book after book to your little one.